MEAP results show Essexville-Hampton Public Schools above state average in many categories

ESSEXVILLE — With the Department of Education releasing the Michigan Educational Assessment Program results on Wednesday, superintendents had a chance to compare how their schools did against the rest of the state.

For Essexville-Hampton Public Schools Superintendent John Mertz, the results were positive.

The district’s students finished ahead of the state average for proficiency in many categories. In third-grade math, 50 percent of the students tested as proficient or better, compared to the state’s average of 36. In third-grade reading, 74 percent were proficient, the highest in Bay County for the category and 12 percent better than the state. Fourth-grade reading, at 77 percent, and fifth-grade reading, at 80 percent, were also the highest in the county.

Mertz said he does look at comparisons between how the district is doing and how the state is doing, but added that the MEAP is only one way to gauge student achievement.

The biggest change with the MEAP assessment this year was the increased minimum-proficiency scores, also known as cut scores. Mertz said districts had been warned that the scores were going to be lower this year compared to past years.

“With the fact they were changing the cut scores this year, this was going to be a while new ball game for us,” Essexville-Hampton Superintendent John Mertz. “We were going to start at a new level this year.”

There were areas where the district struggled, like fifth-grade math, which scored a 28, 12 percent lower than state average. Sixth-grade math scored a 22, below the state average of 37.

Mertz said even with the new, tougher cut scores, the goal remains student achievement, something the district plans to continue to emphasize.